Bologna are one of Italian football’s established names, founded in 1909 and based at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara. Their current squad is valued at around £234m by Transfermarkt, with a notably large group of 51 players and an average age of 24.
Their season ended with a useful run of results: a 3-3 draw with Inter Milan, away wins at Atalanta and Napoli, and a goalless draw with Cagliari. That came after defeats to Roma and Juventus, so the broader picture was not flawless, but Bologna finished with enough edge to suggest a side capable of troubling stronger opponents.
The attacking weight was spread rather than carried by one player. Riccardo Orsolini led the scoring with 14 goals, followed by Santiago Castro on 11, Federico Bernardeschi on nine, Jonathan Rowe on eight and Jens Odgaard on seven. Away from home they were the more productive version of themselves, averaging 1.6 goals scored per match, while conceding 1.2 both home and away.
For Celtic supporters, Bologna profile as a modern, well-resourced Italian opponent: young, deep in numbers, and more dangerous on the road than their home scoring record suggests.
